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Michael Burnham
Michael Burnham was a female Human Starfleet officer raised on Vulcan, by Ambassador Sarek and Amanda Grayson. As a commander, she served as the first officer aboard the in 2256, under Captain Philippa Georgiou, with whom she had served since 2249. ( ) In 2256, she was stripped of rank and sentenced to life imprisonment for mutiny, but she gained a second chance when she was assigned to the . ( ) Early life Burnham's parents were killed by Klingons during the attack on Doctari Alpha when she was young. She was later raised on by Sarek and was the first human to ever attend the Vulcan Learning Center and the Vulcan Science Academy ( ) where she studied quantum physics. She attended the Vulcan Science Academy from 2245-2249. ( ) As a child, Burnham was caught up in an attack on the Learning Center. The bombing left Burnham unconscious, forcing Sarek to initiate a mind meld with Burnham in order to revive her. As a result of this, a portion of Sarek's katra remained inside her mind, which later allowed him to communicate with her across interstellar distances. ( ) She was a receptient of the Vulcan Scientific Legion of Honor. ( ) Starfleet career USS Shenzhou In 2249, Burnham joined Starfleet and was assigned to the under the command of Captain Philippa Georgiou. Serving as a xenoanthropologist, she eventually rose to the rank of Commander, and by 2256, became Georgiou's First officer. ( ) Encountering the Klingons Just prior to the Battle of the Binary Stars, Burnham was charged with mutiny after incapacitating Captain Georgiou and taking command of the , preparing to attack the Klingons by firing on them first. She subsequently pled guilty to these charges during a court martial, and was stripped of rank and sentenced to life in prison. ( ) Relationships Friendships Philippa Georgiou Burnham and Philippa Georgiou almost had a mother–daughter relationship: After taking on Burnham as a member of her crew, Georgiou decided to take a chance on Burnham and made her First officer. From their first encounter, Philippa boosted Michael's self esteem, telling her that her confidence was justified, much to Michael's shock and complimenting her back. Over the course of seven years, they developed an extremely close relationship. Georgiou grew to trust Burnham, and while exploring with her in 2256, said she trusted her with her life. On a relatively primitive planet, the duo opened a well, and enabled the planet's residents to survive a coming 89-year drought. Burnham warned Georgiou of her encounter with a Klingon, and with hesitation, Georgiou believed her and locked weaponry on the object. Starfleet ordered the Shenzhou to wait until reinforcements arrive. When Burnham recommended firing first against the Klingons, but she refused. Burnham disabled Georgiou with a Vulcan nerve pinch and took command of the ship, ordering an attack on the Klingon vessel. Georgiou recovered in time to stop the attack. ( ) Georgiou arrested and imprisoned Burnham for mutiny. However, she escaped the brig after telepathic encouragement from Sarek, and convinced Georgiou to take T'Kuvma hostage. Using an explosive sent to T'Kuvma's ship with a Klingon corpse as a distraction, the duo boarded the ship and attack. Burnham fought off Voq, but Georgiou was eventually killed during the Battle of the Binary Stars by the Klingon T'Kuvma. Burnham was distraught, weeping at the loss of her friend and captain and becoming consumed with grief. Following her death, Burnham felt she was responsible for the death of her captain and friend, completely guilt-ridden. ( ) Sarek Sarek and Burnham have a father-daughter relationship due to the fact that after her parents were killed, Sarek took Burnham as his ward. Afterwards, he helped her countless times whenever her judgement was clouded by her human emotions.( ) Saru While serving with Saru aboard the Shenzhou, they were in near-constant disagreement in how to read and approach situations. ( ) Even after her mutiny, which came as a surprise to Saru, he still considered her a valuable asset and the smartest officer in Starfleet, but he was now afraid of her and considered her very dangerous. ( ) Key dates * 2226: Born on Earth * 2245–2249: Attends the Vulcan Science Academy * 2249: Assigned to the under the command of Captain Philippa Georgiou. * 2256: ** Participates in the Battle of the Binary Stars. Abandons the Shenzhou with the remaining crew after the death of Captain Georgiou. Is later court martialed on charges of dereliction of duty, assaulting a fellow officer, and mutiny, which she pleads guilty to, leading to a loss of rank and a sentence of life imprisonment. ** Is assigned to on the behest of Captain Gabriel Lorca. Memorable quotes "We come in peace, that's why we're here. Isn't that the whole idea of Starfleet?" "Hey – I taught you that." : - Burnham and Philippa Georgiou, while on the Crepusculans' homeworld ( ) "You wanna know how I turned on you? I believed saving you and the crew was more important than Starfleet's principles. Was it logical? Emotional? I don't know." :- Burnham to Philippa Georgiou, on her mutiny ( ) "From my youth on Vulcan, I was raised to believe that service was my purpose. And I carried that conviction to Starfleet. I dreamed of a day when I would command my own vessel, and further the noble objectives of this great institution. That dream is over. The only ship I know in ruins. My crew... gone. My captain... my friend. I wanted to protect them from war. From the enemy. And now we are at war... and I am the enemy." :- Burnham, after she plead guilty to her crimes ( ) Appendices Appearances Michael Burnham appears in: * ** (First appearance) ** ** ** Background information Burnham was mostly played by Sonequa Martin-Green. As a child, she was played by Arista Arhin. Burnham is not the first character to have been depicted as being adopted by Sarek; in the first draft script of , Sarek adopted a Vulcan male named Galt, who had been spying for the Klingons. Burnham's backstory, involving her parents being killed in a terror raid by Klingons and she then being raised on an alien planet (i.e. Vulcan), also shares some similarities with Worf, whose father was killed in an attack by Romulans before he himself was likewise raised on an alien planet (i.e. Earth). This was pointed out to Executive Producer/Writer Aaron Harberts on , but he stated that he hadn't previously thought of the similarities between Burnham's backstory and that of Worf. Burnham is the second of two main characters to be canonically portrayed as being recruited aboard a series' main starship immediately after serving time in prison; Tom Paris likewise joined the crew of the after serving time at New Zealand Penal Settlement. Apocrypha In the Pocket DIS novel Desperate Hours, Burnham became first officer in 2255 following the promotion of the previous first officer, , who left to accept a post as the commanding officer of the starship . External links * * * de:Michael Burnham Category:Humans Category:Starfleet command personnel Category:Starfleet sciences personnel Category:USS Discovery personnel Category:USS Shenzhou personnel